In right this moment’s quickly evolving financial system, digital readiness is extra than simply web entry. It is about equipping entrepreneurs with the mandatory instruments and sources to foster progress in an more and more on-line market.
However with the rise of digital instruments from AI to new methods of social networking, how can small enterprise house owners establish essentially the most helpful methods to satisfy their objectives? Actually, a latest survey discovered that 61% of small enterprise house owners stated the power to talk with e-commerce consultants who might help set up a digital presence, digital branding, or social media engagement could be useful as they appear to navigate the 12 months forward.
That is exactly the place World Citizen accomplice Verizon steps in by way of the Small Enterprise Digital Prepared program — a devoted on-line platform crafted with and for small companies, the very heartbeat of our communities. This portal champions Verizon’s broader purpose of serving to equip each small enterprise, no matter its dimension or sources, with the means to harness the total potential of the digital financial system.
V’Esther Goode, chef and proprietor of Boomer’s Kitchen & Catering, attributes a newfound sense of confidence to the Verizon Small Enterprise Digital Prepared portal. Earlier than taking programs within the portal, Goode usually felt harassed by working her enterprise. Now, with 10 programs and training periods below her belt, Goode feels empowered to take her enterprise to the subsequent stage. Her five-year plan contains proudly owning a business kitchen, growing company catering, and hiring extra staff.
“At first, [this business] was simply to get my son by way of school,” Goode displays. “However now I do know that that is one thing that I can go away a legacy behind with. Once I go, my youngsters can have one thing to hold on. My household can have one thing to be happy with.”
Verizon Small Enterprise Digital Prepared: A Nearer Look
Verizon Small Enterprise Digital Prepared is a part of Verizon’s purpose to help 1M small companies by 2030 with the sources to thrive within the digital financial system as a part of its accountable marketing strategy, Citizen Verizon. Since its inception in 2021, Verizon Small Enterprise Digital Prepared has supported the expansion of greater than 200,00 small companies nationwide.
“Small companies are the spine of our communities,” Verizon’s Chief Company Social Accountability Officer, Rose Stuckey Kirk, stated concerning the vital function small companies play in native economies. “We developed the Verizon Small Enterprise Digital Prepared portal to provide small companies instruments and sources that may assist them succeed and, finally, assist profit their native economies.”
However what makes this portal actually distinctive and particular?
For starters, it is extra than simply one other on-line useful resource; it is an interactive expertise geared toward supporting digital transformation for numerous small enterprise house owners. By offering free on-line programs, instruments, 1:1 teaching, and the chance for peer networking and entry to grants, Verizon doesn’t need to go away any small enterprise behind.
To construct on that, earlier this month, Verizon Small Enterprise Digital Prepared introduced new grant funding alternatives for small companies totaling $500,000. Candidates who qualify and full the appliance by way of Verizon’s Digital Prepared platform are eligible for consideration to obtain a $10,000 grant.
Whether or not a enterprise proprietor is seeking to delve into social media advertising and marketing, handle funds effectively, or safe seed funding, Verizon has the sources to assist small companies overcome the challenges they’re going through right this moment and place themselves for achievement within the digital future.
However the platform is not nearly gaining information. It is about its sensible software and forging lasting relationships. From offering over 40 on-demand programs to making sure the provision of 1:1 professional teaching, peer mentorship, and networking alternatives, Verizon offers small companies the instruments they should thrive in right this moment’s digital financial system.
“[What I’ve learned in the program] made issues smoother, much less anxious,” stated Goode. “It has constructed my confidence one hundred pc.”
Spanish language course choices and occasions are additionally out there, widening the attain to non-English talking enterprise house owners.
Cultivating the Digital Dream: From Imaginative and prescient to Actuality
By 2030, Verizon aspires to help a staggering a million small companies. This intention displays Verizon’s dedication to fostering a digital future.
Verizon’s endeavors underscore a pivotal message: Within the journey of small companies lie the massive desires of our native communities.
“To maintain serving the identical neighborhood that constructed my enterprise for me is simply wonderful,” stated Goode.
And within the success of companies like Goode’s Boomer’s Kitchen & Catering, we discover the longer term — a future that is extra linked, inclusive, and digitally prepared.
Be taught extra right here about Verizon Small Enterprise Digital Prepared
Be taught extra right here about World Citizen’s partnership with Verizon